On getting a better price

Caught the following on NPR while headed to a breakfast meeting ... note that I did not haggle over the breakfast, even though we're semi-regulars.

I do always ask about rates on the few print subscriptions I have, when I renew, and sometimes have gotten an additional 50% trim.

Haggling Picks Up Steam During Recession : NPR:

"'Before you ever go into the ring, you can't be afraid,' Lee says. 'Because if you are, you've already lost. And you've got to recognize, in haggling, there's really nothing to lose. If you don't ask for a discount, the answer is already no.'

For example, Lee says tell a vendor what you're worth to them, and then ask what they can do for you. Then there's the hard part: sit and wait.

'The next person who speaks — loses,' Lee says."